SnipFold

Pentagonal Prism

One-piece exact regular pentagonal prism: five rectangular walls, two hinged pentagonal ends and nine integral joining tabs.

Materials

  • 160-200 gsm paper
  • Scissors or craft knife
  • Ruler and blunt scoring tool
  • PVA glue

Finished size: 48.54 x 46.17 x 55 mm; pentagon edge 30 mm

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. 1. Print and cut

    Print at 100% and check the 50 mm ruler. Cut the single P1 outline, retaining all nine tabs. With the printed face up, orient the five-panel belt horizontally and its long seam tab at the right. Name the rectangles S1-S5 left to right; each is 30 x 55 mm. The pentagons on S3 are B below and T above.

  2. 2. Score and pre-fold

    Score all dashed lines. The printed face will be the inside: make valley folds toward yourself. Turn each of the four side creases and the long seam-tab crease 72 degrees from flat (108 degrees interior). Turn both cap hinges and all eight cap tabs 90 degrees from flat. Each pentagon has five 30 mm edges and 108 degree interior corners.

  3. 3. Join 1 - close the belt

    Wrap S1-S5 into a regular pentagonal tube. Glue the unprinted face of the 5 mm long tab on S5 to the printed inside of the free vertical edge of S1. Match the 55 mm top and bottom levels, with the S5 tab crease exactly at the S1 cut edge. Hold until dry, leaving both caps open.

  4. 4. Joins 2-5 - bottom cap

    Swing B inward 90 degrees on S3. Its four tabs tuck upward inside the tube, overlapping the walls by 5 mm. Glue their unprinted faces to the printed wall interiors: join 2 to S2, join 3 to S1, join 4 to S5, join 5 to S4. Identify each cap edge by the wall it meets when B lies square across the tube. Press each join from the open top and let B dry flat.

  5. 5. Joins 6-9 - top cap

    Dry-fit T at 90 degrees to S3 with its tabs pointing down inside. Lift T, apply a thin film of glue to the unprinted tab faces, then lower and tuck all four tabs: join 6 to S2, join 7 to S1, join 8 to S5, join 9 to S4. Align each cap edge flush with the wall rim; gently press the walls against the tabs and hold until set. Do not force the cap below the rim.

  6. 6. Finish and dry

    Let all nine joins cure. Check that both ends are parallel, all five long edges are 55 mm, and the pentagonal edges are 30 mm. The finished object is a closed display prism, not an opening box. Physical printing, cutting and assembly verification are pending.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.